Bush rallies for war veterans

Published: Wednesday, November 10, 1999

PICKENS, S.C. {AP} Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush demanded Tuesday that the U.S. government repay its "debt of honor" to veterans, and tangled with rival John McCain's campaign over who is best-suited to be commander-in-chief.

Bush praised the Arizona's senator's war-hero past, but predicted that his two terms as Texas governor make for a more attractive presidential candidate.

"I can understand" why some voters are drawn to McCain's biography, Bush said between stops in the state.

"But I think voters are going to say I'd be a better commander-in-chief because I've had chief executive experience. I know how to set goals. I know how to make decisions. I know how to rally people."

McCain's campaign fired back with a statement alluding to Bush's other executive experience: co-ownership of the Texas Rangers.